Redder than the Rose, Whiter than the Lily
by Voice of the Shadow Realm
Summary: Since moving from friends to lovers, Rukia and Renji discover that things aren't simple. Doubts rise faster, fears are stronger when echoed, and learning to open up to a friend turned lover takes more courage than expected. A One-shot that can stand alone, but is placed in my mini 'Serenity' series, between 'Lingering Serenity' and 'Fractured Serenity.'


_**Authors Note:**_

Welcome back to those who are following my mini 'Serenity' series. I present to you, a one-shot.

I've been awful with updating my stories, awful with my writing in general. I am still working on my in progress stories, I just kinda needed to escape from the multi-chapter vice and write a one-shot. Also needed to step back from writing my love scenes (and my M-rated stories) and have something simpler, so I aimed for cute and fluffiness in this. It is a 'between' story, set between '_Lingering Serenity' _and _'Fractured Serenity'_ but can also be read as a one-shot as the only reference is vague.

The only inspiration I had for this was a paragraph or two that I had for writing another story with a completely different set of characters (cats lol) and I just felt it would suit a RenRuki story instead.

Rated **T **for Renji's cussing and suggestiveness... Poor, horny Renji. lulz.

**Disclaimer:- I do not own, nor do I make any claims to, Bleach and/or its characters and storyline. I am simply a late-to-the-party fan who enjoys fanfiction, both reading it and writing it. The only profit I make from this is the knowledge that I may, perhaps, encourage others to venture more into the Bleach Universe by helping to keep the fandom alive alongside the thousands of other fans.**

* * *

**Redder than the Rose, Whiter than the Lily.**

She never faltered and she had never left him. In all seasons, spring as well as winter, the moon never abandons her inky territory, she never abandons her duty. She is consistent and honest, without the need, nor the desire to interfere with the lives of the creatures that slept soundly in the dark embrace of her domain. Her wants were simple, to watch over the sleeping world and to guide those who favored her company to that of the day, never did she regard the ambition of one more favorably than that of another, and perhaps, that was why he had always preferred the night.

Her gentle moonlight swathes into the empty streets of Inuzuri, illuminating the dilapidated shacks and crumbling structures that offered themselves as homes to the residents of the outer district of the Rukongai, caressing them with a silver hue that masked their rough appearance with a subtle beauty. A figure moved quietly through the deserted town, waraji noiselessly ghosting a path that needed not the guidance of sight, they had traveled this journey many times before in both youth and later years. Tight, twisting alleys and clutter filled narrow streets led their pilgrim deeper into long abandoned territory, coupled with the swell and recede of light as the glowing disc flirtatiously danced behind every wisp of cloud that frequented her domain, would have found a lesser tracker lost and confused. But instinct proved itself to be most dependable once more; dominating over usually keen senses that the night now rendered as useless.

He cast a careful glance up and down the deserted street, his pace never ceasing as he rose easily onto his toes and bounced once in his stride, testing the readiness in his tightly coiled muscles. His spiritual energies swirled eagerly around his form before it swelled and pushed down against the earth, vaulting him upwards. The pulsing powers rolled around him again, even before he thought to draw the cloak of reiatsu down below him, his energies simply and instinctively cushioned his landing above the rooftops. Without shadows to hide him any longer, the shining disc burst from a large blanket of cover, baptizing the man in her ethereal glow. His skin shimmered where she caressed him and silver tinged flame smoldered in his bright eyes. A long mane of frosted crimson spilled about his shoulders, which she immediately coated with a glistening sheen akin to that of water. He was stunning in her light, harsh illumination displayed his strong planes and masculine angles and yet she was delicate enough to soften the sharp lines of his jaw and smooth his roughened edges. Lifting his chin, the man gazed toward the silver-white goddess of the night, his lips skimmed back in the feral smirk of a hunter.

The moonlight danced a dappled pattern over structure and skin when the cloud cover grew dense. Peeking at him, coy and teasing through her cloud shield as she winked her star-children in and out of sight when his eyes lifted, in a jovial game between her and the individual below. He snorted lightly as he shook his head, pupils dilating and contracting easily with the fluctuating light. 'Yer a typical woman,' His rich voice rumbled deep in his throat, scolding the celestial body gruffly. 'Always teasin' me.'

As though to mock his observations the silvery orb shied away, drawing clouds around her and shrouding her glow with the cottony wisp's once more just as a break in his path hurried toward him, the rooftop he traveled dropping suddenly into shadow. Chin lowering slightly, he drew his brows together as he mapped his path, then he smirked and suddenly burst forward into flash-step. He'd calculated his footfalls well, his toes barely hung over the lip of tile as he pushed off, his palms turned down as he directed a stirring of reiatsu. And then, he was airborne. The spacing between rooftops were irregular, gaps that he could have cleared in a single bound were not uniform and this was one that he doubted he could clear without an extra shove. At the peak of his leap and before gravity could grasp him, he initiated another flash that carried him to his targeted perch, knees bending to absorb the shock of his landing.

Momentum took hold and he felt his chest lean forward, over-balancing him. 'Aww, shit!' He berated himself, his torso doubling over and his shoulder automatically tucking under his knees in a carefully controlled roll. He had over extended his jump; the propulsion of his reiatsu was an unnecessary kick. But, as soon as his feet aligned themselves beneath him once more he hauled himself upright and found his stride as easily as though it had never been broken, the result of his decades of brutal training.

'That was sloppy.' A musical voice taunted him from his right. A second, figure broke free of her cover of shadow, smaller and lighter than his own bulk. The strides of the newcomer fell faster, though they covered less distance than his long gait. 'I would have expected better of you, fukutaichō-dono.'

He slid his liquid gaze over to his companion and '_hrrmph_-ed' grumpily as the slender and lithe female skirted beside him; close enough to dig her pointed elbow into his ribs and dart away from his stiff swipe of retaliation with a sly chuckle. 'Awww, too slow.' She zig-zagged her path across his as she blurred out of sight in a flurry of short flash-step bursts, a silent challenge issued with the teasing flap of her kimono.

An impish grin pulled at his lips as he felt the air around his body hum with a swirling mixture of excitement and energy, his reiatsu gathering beneath his feet and vibrating excitedly through his synapses. 'Yeah, ya are.' Instantly he vanished from sight and reappeared a dozen strides ahead, only to vanish again as he chased the dainty woman ahead of him.

She threw a cautious glance over her shoulder, knowing that her teasing's were little more than bait to the young man. She had issued him a wordless challenge of _'come and get me,'_ with her goading, and his ridiculous pig-headed stubbornness, his relentless male pride would not be quelled until he had bested her. The air directly behind her vibrated as a swell of high reiatsu washed over her senses, she could taste the distinct scent of his energy signature on her tongue, the heaviness one felt in the back of their throat of an impending storm after a drought. She could feel him there, tickling and toying with the edges of her own energies, dogging at her heels easily without any attempt to pass her. Tilting her head over her shoulder, a quick glance confirmed that the young man was matching her stride for stride; restraint obvious on his face, reflected in his slightly furrowed brow and in his tempered movements, his longer strides should have moved him in front of her by now. She mock-scowled at him and he simply grinned before his hand shot out, long fingers curling around her wrist as he hauled her backward and behind him.

A startled gasp burst over her lips, her arms spread either side as her poise wobbling at the sudden reversal of their positions. Her cheeks flushing red at his loud bark of laughter as he released his firm grasp on her wrist. This time, when she scowled at him, she poured her whole being into it. 'You dirty, rotten sneak!' She spat, pushing a swell of her own reiatsu behind her and drawing alongside the man again. 'You cheated Renji, that's not fair.'

Renji, as he had been dubbed, turned a wounded gaze to the small woman, scraping back the loose whips of red from his eyes. 'Awww, com'on Rukia. It's jus' a little bit o' fun yanno?' He reached a hand behind him for her to grasp, an offer of apology. Rukia rolled her eyes at the gesture and reached to place her small, slender fingers into his large palm. Only to have him suddenly whisk his hand away from her, a wide, toothy grin split his lips. 'Jus' kiddin', all's fair in love, war, an' kickin' yer sorry ass.'

And then he was gone. His form blurred in and out of existence with steadily widening intervals between their two positions. Rukia groaned softly to herself as she lost sight of his crimson spray trailing behind him. Why had she begun a flash-race? Renji was highly skilled at this nimble technique, made necessary to counter-act the flaws in his powerhouse of a Zanpakutou. He had spent countless decades honing that necessity into ability, and now, he could easily keep pace with Kuchiki-taichō for long periods of time, and the taichō was only bested by Lady Yoruichi- an untouchable woman holding the title 'Goddess of Flash'.

Rukia sighed and slowed. The race was lost now, no matter if she flashed or not, she was fast but he was faster. She knew the penalty of her failure, the stakes set from the very first time that they had run together as children and, as children, it was the last time that she had bested him. Following the taunting waft of his laughter, Rukia scowled into the darkness.

* * *

When Rukia found Renji, he sprawled on his back, his eyes closed and his hands laced behind his head. A small, triumphant smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth, the only indication she had that he had sensed her energy signature and was mocking her with his act of dozing. 'Took ya long enough. What did ya do? Did ya get lost?'

Ignoring his teasing, she carefully placed a clay jug of plum wine and a small brown paper bundle beside him. He would complain later about the lack of sake but she didn't care, she had no desire for hard alcohol tonight she decided as she moved closer to his prone form and jabbed him hard in his ribs with her toe, making the man flinch and snort. 'Oi!' she snapped, jabbing him again, this time she got his hip and managed to succeed in getting him to crack an eyelid at her, peering up accusingly before sighing and hauling himself into a sitting position. Rukia pushed one of the boxes roughly at the red-head as she sat beside him; eyes darting as he peered at it and then her before he curiously turned it around in his large hands.

Rolling her eyes at him Rukia snorted, folded her legs neatly beneath her and opened her own box. 'Geez, quit with the timid little puppy routine Renji. It's food. I know how obnoxious you get when you're hungry and I remember the trouble that you got yourself into the last time you went on a food run here.'

Renji threw her a dirty look as he tore open his own box, shoving a hand inside and pulling out a pork skewer. 'Ain't my fault that ol' git recognized me. I don't look nuthin' like tha' brat I used to be.' His oddly pointed canines flashed as he ripped a sizable chunk of seasoned meat into his mouth, chewed twice before attempting to swallow. ''Sides, not like he could prove nothin' anyhow. Kids thieve offa 'im all tha time, s'how it works in Inuzuri.'

An elegantly shaped brow cocked as Rukia watched her companion devour the remaining meat in one more bite, his cheek bulging on one side as his jaw struggled to work it around his mouth. 'Well, your point aside, your table manners certainly haven't changed; maybe that's what he recognized.' She pulled a small morsel from her skewer and popped it delicately into her mouth, chewing slowly and ignoring her companion's snort of derision from her side. 'You should slow down and actually taste what you're eating every once in a while, you know. No one's going to even attempt to swipe food from a guy like you now.' After a few moments of careful chewing, she swallowed and lifted the small clay jug of spiced plum wine to her lips. Glancing back at the young man at her side, the noble woman almost choked on the warming liquid. He had marinated pork grease smeared over his lips and cheek; box perched on his crossed ankles as he poked through his selection of fried snacks. Unbidden excitement glistened in red-amber orbs as he pushed a sticky rice ball into his mouth, well, mostly, grains of rice broke easily escaped from the mound and found themselves clinging to his lips and chin.

Sighing softly, Rukia couldn't help the fond smile twitching at her lips. Every year the two of them snuck back into Inuzuri to enjoy the one night that the district's occupants didn't seem intent of killing each other. The autumn festival was the one fond memory she could still recall that held no sorrow for her, no bittersweet after taste even as their friends had dwindled. Renji had always brought her here when they were young; just the two of them alone, and together they pilfered from the food vendors the same snacks that they devoured now. They would clamber onto the rooftops, half scrambling and half tugging at each other, with their stolen bounty tucked inside their ragged yukata's and gorge themselves until they flopped backward with grease stained fingers and chins, in time for the first firework to paint the dark sky with twinkling lights and rainbows of colour.

She remembered how he would turn to her, his face home to the widest, cheesiest grin she had ever seen on anyone, and how it had always made her stomach flip-flop with an unknown emotion. It was the same as the grin that he wore now, right to the grease tracks and meat crumbs, even the stray rice on his upper lip was painfully familiar. Without his duties and responsibilities to consider, he was still that same boisterous street child who believed that life, everything, was little more than a simple game of make believe. Where Renji's worst enemy had been the stall vendor who, when he had caught the red haired boy with his fingers in his goods, had been content with beating him instead of devouring him.

And she envied him that.

'For heaven's sake, Renji.'

His head shot up, eyes widening in his surprise at the sudden outburst, another over-sized mouthful already shoved past his lips.

'Just look at the mess you've made of yourself.' Rukia scolded, half disgusted by his eating habits and half laughing because he simply didn't seem to care. She pushed her barely touched snacks aside and hoisted the taller Shinigami toward her by his collar. His palms hit the tiles to stop himself toppling over as Rukia held him steady with one hand and the other fished around in her kimono sleeve for a small square of linen. She swiped at the man's lips and cheeks, before drawing her thumb to her lips. Wetting the digit with her tongue, she chuckled softly at the crossing of his eyes as he watched the action suspiciously. And when it moved toward a particularly stubborn grease stain at the corner of his mouth he twisted in a desperate attempt to squirm out of her grasp, like a disobedient child.

Rukia's fingers tightened in the fabric of his kimono, and yet, somehow during his struggles, Renji managed to escape her fussing by rearing backward onto his knees and twisting down before rolling a few feet to her left. Pushing himself onto his hands and knees, the six foot two brute poked out his tongue and chuckled throatily at her frustrated glower. 'You are a brat, Renji Abarai.' She scolded moving onto her feet and holding herself low in a crouch. Immediately the red head's muscles readied themselves, coiled and tensed, decades upon decades of combat training instinctively had him mirroring the young woman's stance, ready to dart away from grappling fingers. 'A nasty, miserable and bratty little boy, who still refuses to bathe regularly.'

'Nu-uh!' Loose red tresses fluttered as he shook his head at her. 'I like my baths.' He screwed up his nose at the rag in his childhood friend's hand. 'On tha' other hand, I don't like bein' spit washed like I'm a piss-ass little runt.' He lurched to the left as Rukia made a wild grab for his kimono.

'You have pork grease and rice on your cheek.' She argued, fingers wrapping around his obi.

'Savin' that bit fer later.' He protested as he was dragged beneath her, struggling all the way.

'That is so gross.'

'So's havin' yer spit all over my face.'

Rukia sat heavily on Renji's ribs, her ankles hooking over his hips and toes laying dangerously close to his groin. He whined quietly, merely theatrical, as she resumed cleaning the evidence of festival fare from his features, and tried to wriggle away from the cloth without annoying her enough for her to decide that digging her toes into the tender column of flesh, that lay within easy kicking distance, would be a suitable punishment.

After a minute or two of half-hearted struggling and a warning press of Rukia's foot to his inner thigh, Renji heaved a sigh and fell back and closed his eyes. He was not willing to risk Rukia's wrath, he knew for fact that she was not above applying pain to either of his sensitive anatomical protrusions, and so he endured her careful swipes of the rag until long after the last of the grease stains had vanished.

After a few harsher swipes gave way to gentle strokes, Renji settled under her touch. He hadn't meant to enjoy it, but the sensations she invoked by cleaning his lips and cheeks were therapeutic and soothing, and he had grown accustomed to having the slight, young woman invading his personal space over the years they had spent growing up in Inuzuri. The poverty that they had faced here had blurred boundaries between them, in the cold seasons they had huddled together for warmth, slept so closely for comfort that they had felt each thud of the others heart beating as though their own. In the summer months, they would strip down until they found comfort. She, in simple linen bindings for modesty, and he, who bore no shame it seemed, trotted around unabashedly naked. So, with him lying pinned beneath her small and comfortable weight, Renji felt completely at ease. His breathing slowed and evened out and his features relaxed, lashes slipping down almost completely as his eyes shuttered, almost as though he had fallen asleep.

Rukia felt a small smile tug at her mouth. Renji was, and always had been, a very physical individual. He liked to be touched and petted like this, though not by just anyone. It took him years to warm up completely to people, residual aspects of a childhood where you were never quite sure if you would wake in the morning or not made him incredibly wary in nature. Though his loyalty, once it was earned, was fearsome in its intensity.

Her chest swelled with a stab of fearsome defensiveness of their connection. Rukia had long since earned such loyalty from him. Despite all of the hiccups, resulting in the severing of their close bond, Renji's protective nature would always dominate his senses. He could not hold a grudge against anyone for very long, even less so against her, which was why she smiled as she felt his fingers curl her ankle, thumb sweeping mimicking touches over the pale skin there. She had never really paid much mind to just how important that connection had been to Renji before, though now, after her near execution and the upheaval that the Seireitei had faced, she was surprised to discover that she treasured it as much as he. 'Renji?'

'Hmm?'

'I was wondering-'

Suddenly a loud shrieking and whistling split the air, silencing her words as silver streaks painted the inky blackness of the night, rivalling the light of the moon as the first firework sacrificed itself for the enjoyment of the crowds below. Rukia flinched at the unexpected din and Renji bolted upright, elbows digging down on hard tiles, his tightly muscled chest hitting hers and knocking her back. She uttered a small cry as she slid down his firm belly and thumped into his lap, his shoulders and head turned away and toward the skies just as her own head craned up in time to watch the first blossom of glittering colour bloom above them.

Eyes wide with child-like awe, Rukia curled her small fists into the front of Renji's kimono and leaned into him, her cheek pressing against the warm flesh exposed by the deep V shaped neckline as she watched the colours shine and fade only for another rosette of contrasting colour to splash over the fading lights. 'Do you remember what you said to me that last festival before the Academy?'

He lowered his head back to her, blinked and then frowned. 'Any part o' that conversation in particular?'

She nodded, her chilled skin sliding over the top of his. 'You told me that the last firework, the most beautiful of the whole presentation, was sent up as tribute to the most beautiful girl watching.'

A chuckle rumbled beside her ear and strong arms wrapped loosely around her waist. 'Did I now?'

Rukia nodded again. Spots of warmth danced to her cheeks and her fingers moved to caress his robe idly, sliding higher so that her knuckles brushed his collar lightly. 'Did you mean me?'

He shrugged and shivered, enjoying the almost not there touch. 'Probably.'

'Why?'

Another shrug. 'I dunno, puberty most likely. Made me wanna look good in yer eyes. I kinda liked ya, even back then when ya looked more like a boy than a girl- ow!' Renji shot her a dark scowl as he rubbed the back of his head.

Ignoring the heated expression, Rukia settled back in his lap, recoiling from delivering her slap. 'Puberty, huh?' Puberty had been kind to them both, despite her mocking him when his voice cracked and strained from the higher notes to his silken tone. He had grown tall and strong, his soft childish form matured quickly into a strong, long limbed youth. It had also been kind to her as well. Rukia had been a pretty child, with her wide dark eyes and delicate ivory skin. That attractiveness had suddenly bloomed into beauty, seemingly overnight. Where Renji had battled through the many embarrassments of his transition from boy to man, Rukia had left girlhood and emerged a woman with ease. Her boyish figure embraced her new gentle and petite curves, something that an awkward and hormonal Renji also noticed and struggled to comprehend.

'Yup. I dunno if ya noticed, but I was pretty much a walkin' talkin' hard-on back then.'

This time she punched his shoulder, hard, making him bolt upright and wince. 'Yeah, I noticed.' She scowled lightly, pink heat dusting her cheeks as awkward memories surfaced. Swallowing tightly, she shoved them away to the back of her mind. 'And now?'

'Pretty much still a walkin' talkin' hard-on.' He grated out, rubbing the tender spot, before looping his arm around her sides, pinning her arms at her elbows, his face lowering to hers. 'Though, I don't seem t' hear ya complaining about tha' part so much anymore.' His eyes shuttered, warm breath ghosting her over lips. 'In fact, ya encourage it.'

She gave him a hard look and lifted an eyebrow skeptically watching as his lips drew closer, until she ducked back and wriggled her arms free. Raising her palms to brace against his shoulders and locking her elbows so she held herself just out of his reach. 'I thought that having my spit all over your face was gross.'

Renji's lids parted wider, one eyebrow quirking high into his mass of crimson. 'If ya cover my face with spit, then ya ain't kissing right an' need a little more practice.' He curled his fingers around the back of her head, drawing her close enough for him to press his mouth to her temple. Pulling back after a minute or two, just enough for him to rest his forehead tenderly against hers. 'That or yer tryin' t' seduce me into a lil' bit o' outside fu- Ow!' He released her then and scrambled backward across the tiles. 'Quit hittin' me already.' He whined, rubbing his shoulder, painfully aware of the dark bruises that would be rising on his brutalized skin.

'I will,' Rukia snapped at him, turning her back on him as she scowled at the brown paper bundle beside the wine jug accusingly. 'As soon as you stop acting like a jerk and deserve to be hit.' She drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, sulking quietly.

Renji sighed and scrubbed his knuckles through his hair. There was little else in this world that he hated seeing more than the dainty woman upset, especially at him. 'I was only messin' with ya, Rukia.' He lifted the hand that he was leaning back on and gingerly lay it on her elbow, measuring the twitching of tensed muscles carefully before he folded himself just enough that he could touch his temple to her shoulder. 'Y'know I don't mean no harm.'

A sliver burst from the forgotten fireworks bathed their rooftop in molten light, streaked through with blue and crimson as the sparks fell from the sky. 'I know.' She whispered from behind her knees. 'It's just, this is so strange. How that everything is different now. Where we are and what it means. You were my best friend, almost like a brother when we were children here, and now, we've moved past that. It frightens me, how much everything has changed and I don't know how to deal with it. I don't know how to behave around you anymore.'

Renji blinked away the fog of surprise that suddenly descended in his mind, as well as the residual light specters that danced behind his lids. 'Course ya do. I'm still th' same ol' Renji…' His voice faded, realization clawed to the top of his confused senses. Realization that Rukia needed him and that she was reaching out to him for comfort. That she wanted him to simply hold her, to tell her everything would be okay. She was trying, as hard as she could, to not shut him out like she had when Byakuya adopted her. She was trying to not lay the same traps for him, trying not to be vague or defensive. It was hard, to lower her defenses and make herself vulnerable, even to him but she was trying and he appreciated that effort.

Edging closer, Renji shifted beside her until his thigh pressed against hers and he could curl his long fingers around her shoulder. 'Yeah, things will be different now, I ain't gonna lie t' ya an' assure ya that they won't.' He caught her chin in his large hand gently, even as he felt her shoulders sag, and tilted it so her half-lidded eyes met his as he gave her a determined look that he hoped would offer her some comfort. 'An' I'm scared too, jus' as much as you are.' He guided her into his lap and wrapped his brawny frame around her, lips pressing against her satin strands when he buried his face into her hair. 'But, I'm still yer best friend, Rukia. No matter where this goes, that ain't gonna change, ever. I won't let it. I ain't gonna leave ya behind again, I ain't strong enough for tha' shit.'

'But it's changed now.' She insisted weakly, ducking her chin down as soon as his fingers left her skin. 'You may still be the same, and so may I, but it isn't simple anymore.' Rukia pinched the fabric of his kimono between thumb and forefinger as she slid her hands lower until they brushed the knot on his obi. She pressed her face against his neck, inhaling deeply his scent and his warmth.

Renji squirmed when her breath ghosted down and over his collar. 'I'm still family, Rukia. Always. 'S jus', maybe we can be a real one now, yanno?'

The petite woman's hands stilled and tension flooded the lithe form in his grasp. Renji's eyes slammed shut as he inwardly cringed. _'Damnit! It's too much, too fast, too soon. Too damned soon. Me an' my stupid big…'_

'A real family?'

He clenched his tongue between his teeth, sucked a deep breath through his nose to calm the nervous rolling in his gut and bolstered his courage as he nodded. They sat in painful silence, curled around each other, watching the skies that suddenly seemed too small as a myriad of fiery blossoms crowded the darkness. She, curled in his lap, hands stilled on the sash holding his kimono closed and he with his arms locked around her, praying that she wouldn't run now.

And then her fingers tugged the stubborn knot loose. Parting the folds of sleek fabric, Rukia curled into Renji's chest and closed the fabric around them both. Pressing her mouth to the side of his throat, Rukia nuzzled and burrowed into him so that when his adam's apple bobbed, she felt it skim her cheek as she whispered breathily. 'That sound's nice.'

Renji's lips twisted into a smile then. Tucking the small woman under his chin, he sighed, a small and warm sound of contentment. 'Yeah.' He murmured against the shell of her ear, his eyes closing as he ignored the bright explosions of colour overhead. 'It does, don't it?'

* * *

'_**Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.**__**' ~Bruce Lee**_

_End Author's Note:_

I hope that was cute enough for you. I wanted people to understand that the transition from close friends to lovers is not without turbulence. I thought it to be more believable than the 'sunshine and rainbows' transition people expect. Both Renji and Rukia would have a lot of baggage and fears with moving to a more mature situation with their relationship. I know there wasn't much in the way of discussion and dialogue to support that, I was kinda hoping the interactions and behaviors would cover that for me.

Also kinda hoped that writing Renji with a street drawl made him more, well Renji-like than the proper speaking character I wrote in 'Lingering Serenity'.

Read and review, I like and appreciate feedback. I am also trying to reply to reviews more now, I like chatting to fellow fans. ~Voice.


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